Tom Guthrie is running for re-election as sheriff and wants business partner Bret Maverick to keep a low profile in the campaign. However, Bret is working on one of the biggest scams of his life and isn't about to be kept under wraps.

Recap

In the woods outside of Sweetwater, a fortune hunter paces off steps on the Lazy Ace Ranch. He finds an empty hole in the ground and Bret rides up behind him and demands to know why he’s there. The fortune hunter explains that he’s looking for pre-Columbian artifacts and got a map from a man in Denver. Bret explains that he already found the lead mask and auctioned it off to the highest bidder, Senor Gomez for $2,000, but still has it on him. The fortune hunter offers him up to $4,000 and asks to check it. He pays Bret the money and confirms that it’s authentic, and then draws a gun and takes the money. He tells Bret to ride on and leaves...

Jack Kelly, who had co-starred with James Garner in the original Maverick series, made his only appearance in the revival series with a brief cameo at the end of this episode. He was slated to become a regular in the series' second season but the show got canceled by NBC.

Episode Quotes

Bret: (to a fortune hunter wearing a pith helmet) I should have known better than to trust somebody wearin' a hat like that.

Elijah: Where are you getting all these large sums of money?Bret: Superior business methods. And none of your business.

Tom: You do anything to give Crow ammunition to use against me, and I'm gonna break both your legs.Bret: You sure have a funny way of askin' for help.

Bret: Your cut'll be $50,000. Now you can float boulders for that kind of money.

Cy: He's so full of words he forgets where he leaves 'em on.

Kate Hanrahan: I can't imagine Tom Guthrie'd stand still for another broadsiding.Bret: You heard about that?Kate Hanrahan: Only the stone deaf in East Texas haven't.